Pokémon Diamond and Pearl/Route 203

Route 203 is your first route where you can catch a Magikarp using the Old Rod. It has your first rival battle in Diamond and Pearl. Some trainers, a Zubat at night and an Abra are waiting for you here as well.

Route 203

Your rival awaits

Your rival is waiting for you near the entrance from Jubilife City, waiting to show off his battle skills with his new Pokémon. He has picked the starter that trumps your starter's type, so use your starter to take down his first Pokémon, and rely on the new additions to your team to defeat his starter.

Rival battle

If you chose Turtwig:

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Trainer	Pokemon
PKMN Trainer Barry Reward: 900	Starly Lv. 7 Chimchar Lv. 9

If you chose Piplup:

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Trainer	Pokemon
PKMN Trainer Barry Reward: 900	Starly Lv. 7 Turtwig Lv. 9

If you chose Chimchar:

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Trainer	Pokemon
PKMN Trainer Barry Reward: 900	Starly Lv. 7 Piplup Lv. 9

Moving on to Oreburgh City

After your rival is defeated, he will run off to the right to challenge the Oreburgh Gym. To get to Oreburgh, you will have to fight several Trainers and pass through Oreburgh Gate. Don't try to do this all at once; fight some Trainers and a few wild Pokémon to train your Pokémon, and return to Jubilife City to heal before going to Oreburgh.

Youngster Michael is in the middle path to the above of the road before the stairs and the path to the right of him contains a Poké Ball.

Jump over the ledge on go back on the road and follow it up the stairs. After the stairs and a grass patch, Youngster Dallas will be waiting for you.

Continue going right and go up the stairs where you'll find Lass Kaitlin (DP)/Youngster Sebastian (Platinum) on the road. Follow the road and through the next grass patch and you'll see Youngster Sebastian (DP)/Lass Kaitlin (Platinum).

Head up and go around the tree and to find Lass Madeline. Continue left past Madeline and pick up the X-Defend (Platinum) near the ledge then continue left to reach the water to fish for a Magikarp and to find a Repel. Train your Abra for a lvl or 2 against the Magikarp here for easy xp so you can fight the wild Pokémon in the grass. When done here head back right and go into the cave to enter Oreburgh Gate.

Trainers

Diamond and Pearl
Trainer	Pokemon
Youngster Michael Reward: 80	Bidoof Lv. 5 Zubat Lv. 5
Youngster Dallas Reward: 112 Rematch	Kricketot Lv. 7
Lass Kaitlin Reward: 80	Bidoof Lv. 4 Starly Lv. 4 Budew Lv. 4
Youngster Sebastian Reward: 112	Machop Lv. 7
Lass Madeline Reward: 80 Rematch	Starly Lv. 5 Bidoof Lv. 5

Pokémon found

Catching an Abra is highly recommended as it will be a great addition to your team for Poison and Fighting types after you evolve it into Kadabra at lvl 16. Training it becomes a little easier than the previous games as you can teach it TM10 Hidden Power which you acquired in Jubilife City.

Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon		Level	Morn.	Day	Night
	Zubat	5	0%	0%	10%
	Abra	4-5	15%	15%	15%
	Starly	4-6	35%	45%	25%
	Bidoof	4-6	15%	15%	15%
	Kricketot	4	10%	0%	10%
	Shinx	4-5	25%	25%	25%
Surfing
	Psyduck	20-40	90%	90%	90%
	Golduck	20-40	10%	10%	10%

Platinum
Pokémon		Level	Morn.	Day	Night
	Zubat	4	0%	0%	10%
	Abra	4-5	15%	15%	15%
	Starly	4-7	35%	35%	25%
	Bidoof	4-7	15%	25%	15%
	Kricketot	4-5	10%	0%	10%
	Shinx	4-5	25%	25%	25%
Surfing
	Psyduck	20-30	90%	90%	90%
	Golduck	20-40	10%	10%	10%

Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon		Level	Old Rod	Good Rod	Super Rod
	Magikarp	3-10	100%	-	-
	Goldeen	10-25	-	45%	-
	Magikarp	10-25	-	55%	-
	Seaking	20-50	-	-	45%
	Gyarados	30-55	-	-	55%

Platinum
Pokémon		Level	Old Rod	Good Rod	Super Rod
	Magikarp	3-15	100%	-	-
	Goldeen	15-35	-	45%	-
	Magikarp	10-25	-	55%	-
	Seaking	30-55	-	-	45%
	Gyarados	30-55	-	-	55%

New Pokémon

#63 Abra

Abra is a good Pokémon to catch nice and early. Problem is, with its only move, Teleport makes it very hard to catch. Except if your starter Pokémon is Chimchar, which between levels 9-12 will learn Taunt which will stop Abra from using Teleport, if you use it as a first move. You can also use Zubat's Astonish ability, which might cause Abra to flinch. Also, instead of training Abra until it becomes a Kadabra, you can collect TM10 from the two kids inside the Trainers' School to the left of the Poké Center and then teach it to Abra. It is a powerful move if used against certain Pokémon (most of the Pokémon in that area). After some leveling, Abra becomes Kadabra, a much more powerful Psychic user. It then gains the attack Confusion, allowing it to attack in battle, instead of run away.

#129 Magikarp

Magikarp itself is a horrible Pokémon. With its only attacks as Splash, Tackle (at around level 18), and Flail, it is a worthless Pokémon as is. But catch one for the reason of its evolved form, Gyarados. Just train it as you would train an Abra. And if you don't want to get a Gyarados, get it for the Pokédex.

#41 Zubat

Zubat is a Pokémon from the first generation, mostly showing up in grass patches at night and caves. Catching it isn't essential to finishing the game, but as most Pokémon are early in the game, they help fill up your Pokédex.